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March 12, 2004
The Bakonyis bring cup home
Fencing tournament to send athletes to the Olympics in Athens,
Greece.
KYLE BERGER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Four years ago, David, Ron and Debbie Bakonyi honored their late
father Peter by establishing a local fencing tournament in his name.
And, his name just became even more significant, as his children
recently won a bid to host a World Cup fencing tournament in Vancouver,
March 19-21.
Peter Bakonyi, a six-time national fencing champion, represented
Canada at many international competitions and was a major contributor
to the development of fencing in British Columbia. His children
thought that there was no better way to remember him than by immortalizing
his name in the sport he loved. The Peter Bakonyi Epee International
will bring competitors from countries around the globe and will
serve as one of the final qualifying events for the 2004 summer
Olympics in Athens, Greece.
David Bakonyi explained that there are eight to 10 fencing World
Cup tournaments each year. For the past 14 years, Canada's tournament
has been held in Montreal. But, as fencing has continued to grow
in British Columbia, the Bakonyis took the opportunity to make a
change.
"We had our last [local] tournament here in December and then
we noticed on the Canadian Fencing Federation's Web site that they
were accepting bids to host the World Cup event," said David
Bakonyi. "We had only 10 days to complete our bid but we got
everything together and we won."
Bakonyi added that his father would be very pleased with his children's
efforts.
"It definitely makes me really proud and he'd be very surprised
and very excited to see this," he said. "[Fencing] is
a smaller, amateur sport and it is great, especially with all the
excitement surrounding the 2010 Olympics, to have it here in Vancouver."
Both David and Ron Bakonyi competed for the Canadian national team
in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. The brothers haven't competed
in several years, however, David Bakonyi said he couldn't turn down
the opportunity to compete in his home town.
"What made me decide that I'm going to fence is that rush of
the competition and those butterflies that you get wondering what's
going to happen," he explained, before noting that he doesn't
expect to be too successful. "These guys are all in their top
form in an Olympic year, but to be a part of it was just too hard
to pass up."
Ron Bakonyi won't be competing due to a knee injury.
Victor Gantsevich is one former fencing champion who is particularly
excited about the upcoming tournament. Gantsevich, who was once
a member of the national fencing team in the former Soviet Union,
now lives in Vancouver and runs his own fencing program, Dynamo
Fencing (www.dynamofencing.com).
He coached many athletes in the FSU and Ukraine and several of his
local students, including his 15-year-old son Igor, will compete
in the Peter Bakonyi tournament.
"This is a huge opportunity for us because people will have
the chance to see what fencing is," he said. "A lot of
people are scared because they think it is a dangerous sport, but
if they just try it they'll never want to stop."
Gantsevich acknowledged that the presence of a World Cup in Vancouver
is a good sign that the sport is becoming more popular in this province,
much like it is in Quebec or Europe. He added that Dynamo Fencing
has grown over the past several years and more people are benefiting
from the fitness that comes with fencing. Gantsevich hopes to run
a fencing program out of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater
Vancouver this summer.
"In Europe, lots of people take fencing," he said. "And
it's not just for the physical challenge. You have to be fast and
have good reactions. It's good exercise."
The field at the Peter Bakonyi Epee International will feature junior
competitors, as well as several world and Olympic champions. There
will be a team from Israel, including one of Gantsevich's former
students. The highlight of the weekend will be Saturday night's
gala final. As part of the gala, the top four competitors will fence
for medals and for berths in this summer's Olympics.
There are three different disciplines in the world of fencing: épee,
foil and sabre. Foil is the modern version of the original practise
weapon for dueling swords – points are scored by poking the
opponent's torso with the point of the blade. The épee blade
is heavier than the foil and has a rigid bi-angular blade; points
are scored by hitting any part of the opponents body with the tip
of the blade. The sabre is more like a traditional cavalry sword
and points can be scored by having the point or the cutting edges
of the sword hit the opponent anywhere above the waste. Protective
equipment is worn in all disciplines.
The gala event at the Crowne Plaza is sold out. However, admission
is free for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday events at the War Memorial
Gym.
There will be several Jewish competitors from around the world in
the tournament, including three locals – Enej Baigorich, Tigran
Baigorich and Igor Gantsevich – who are members of the Canadian
junior team. More information on this event can be found at www.pbinternational.ca.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer living
in Richmond.
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